Unfinished Dreams
by gaylesam
Summary: No place in "Workarounds' for this missing scene, but something I wish we had been able to see post "The Ghost of Christmas Past"


**Unfinished Dreams**

_No place in "Workarounds' for this missing scene, but something I wish we had been able to see post "The Ghost of Christmas Past"_

"Even in a dream, I couldn't do something so terrible to an innocent baby." Claymore groaned and the children laughed at the Captain. "Breakfast, come on everyone!" Martha called.

As they headed to the kitchen, the Captain stepped next to Mrs. Muir, "Madam, might I have a word with you outside?" "Of course Captain," she said, having an overwhelming sense of _déjà vu__._ She walked ahead of him to a spot on the porch.

Heart pounding, she recalled, it was where the dream has ended for her that morning. She stood looking across the lawn, and in the same way heard his footsteps approach behind her. "Have I told you how lovely you are?" she heard his voice gently behind her. Turning, she looked at him with curious eyes, "And now, am I supposed to say, how glad I am you came home for Christmas?" "Perhaps not," he smiled, "since I've never been gone, but I did hope you recalled the dream. You were the only one who didn't mention the part especially created for you," he continued quietly, looking at her with great attention.

Embarrassed, she turned back to face the coastline, "Captain, would you be insulted if I told you it did NOT seem so unreal?" It was his turn to be confused, "Madam?" "I don't have your gift Captain for creating dreams, but I would like to share a dream, one I had some time ago, one I really couldn't share until now with you." Raising an eyebrow, he cleared his throat, "You have my entire attention, Mrs. Muir."

"Well," she began, "you recall when I had, or when you said I had the ague?" "Of course." "What I was not able to share with you, was what happened after I took that first dose of Willow Bark Golden Elixir." "As in your dream, I was transported back over 100 years. I suppose it was due to a mixture of your medicine, and," she looked down with distracted interest, "my own desires, I suspect." At that, his head snapped up, watching her closely.

She gained the courage to meet his eyes and continued, "It was the evening of that lawn party you told me about. Paper lanterns, musicians playing a waltz, but this time I was the one who was invisible. Everyone we knew was there, Claymore, Doctor Ferguson, Martha, the children, Mrs. Coburn, even Scruffy. It was lovely. Yet I was beginning to panic. No one could see me, recognize me, but when I turned suddenly there you were next to me, in a dress uniform, elegant, really regal with your sword at your side. 'Madam, there is nothing wrong' you told me. It was just that no one could see me, or hear me. 'But YOU see me?' I said, and you just looked at me, or rather looked up, down and back up over every inch of me, very much like you are doing now." Suddenly he cleared his throat, aware of how much more she noticed than he had intended.

Taking pity on him, she continued, "And then you said, as if it were the most usual thing in the world, 'Of course, and a lovely sight you are,' and I admit I blushed, happily, but I did blush." She noticed he took a step closer, and she felt her heart speed up. 'Carolyn, for heaven's sake, you are just telling him another sweet story, pull yourself together,' she thought. "And then, I was enjoying some of the fun of being invisible, and I told you 'Being invisible has its advantages' and to my surprise, you came around in front of me, grasped my hand with both of yours, and kissed my hand. 'Tonight,' you said, 'there are even greater advantages,' took my hand and lead me to the dance floor on the lawn."

She was surprised to see him look down, with his own private smile, "Go on Madam," he said softly. "And that's when I learned how beautifully you could waltz. It was perfect; I couldn't find a better word to describe it. And then, suddenly, you stopped dancing, and brought me closer, and closer. We were a fraction away from a kiss, what felt like would have been a wonderfully passionate kiss. And then that wretched Mrs. Coburn collapsed with the ague. You turned and went to help." "It was then Martha recognized me finally, and slowly I woke up. I was back in my bed, and Martha was telling me I had a bad dream. I told her it had been a dream, but I wasn't so sure it had been a bad one."

"And was it?" he asked enticingly close to her. "No. It was, I think, my version of a dream, one that also couldn't come true. You were brave enough to share yours, and as my Christmas gift to you, I wanted at last to share mine with you."


End file.
